The terrorists who struck at the Indian Air Force base in Pathankot on Saturday and who are believed to be from Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammad terror outfit may have stationed themselves within the complex since January one itself apparently unnoticed.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday visited the family of soldiers killed in the Pakistani terrorist attack at the air base in Pathankot.
The Indian Army and more recently the Indian Navy have already set up dedicated intelligence branches. It is surprising indeed that the IAF, where real time and timely intelligence is most vital for effective and safe prosecution of the air war, has still not done so itself, says Group Capt (retd) P I Muralidharan.
Army has also been alerted and there is a heightened vigil, police said.
Intermittent blasts and exchange of fire to neutralise two more terrorists continued on Sunday night at Air Force Station in Pathankot, Punjab where four terrorists were killed, seven security men lost their lives and 17 persons were injured in the over 40-hour-long operation.
The DGP, who has been monitoring the situation as well as the probe, said that in all likelihood, the unmanned aerial vehicles have flown in from across the border and returned after the operation.
The anti-terror probe agency's chief Sharad Kumar said help of Pakistan will be sought in solving the Pathankot terror attack case.
In view of the threat perception, the Delhi Police is on the highest level of alert to secure the national capital.
'Had they struck on the night of the 1st, there would have been hell to pay and had they been able to sneak further in, we would have had a greater problem,' says Lieutenant General H S Panag (retd), the former Northern Army Commander.
A scare was created on Wednesday after a man with a bag was spotted moving in a suspicious manner outside the Pathankot Air base.
BJP chief Amit Shah said Pakistan has for the first time made "serious efforts" towards investigating a terror case.
Air Commodore Nitin Sathe discovers how the IAF trained Pakistani air force pilots, during the 1971 War, which led to the birth of the Bangladesh air force.
The IAF is also in the process of finalising a Rs 8,000-crore comprehensive security proposal for its 54 main flying bases in the country.
Addressing IAF personnel on the Air Force Day, Dhanoa said the air force was fully geared up to face any security challenge to the country.
The terrorists who had stormed the Pathankot air base were "well trained" and "strongly stocked" with arms and ammunitions to inflict heavy damage to the assets stationed there and that explains the long counter-terror operations going on against them, top government sources said.
Punjab, which faced two terror attacks in six months, on Sunday announced deployment of a commando battalion and a special SWAT team in Pathankot as a "second line of defence" and also sought deployment of more Border Security Force troops along the state's border with Pakistan.
For the first time, India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft performed stunts at the air show, amid loud cheers from the audience.
Boeing said the first batch of the Apaches arrived in India and an additional four choppers will be delivered to the IAF next week.
The Pakistani JIT concluded its six-day discussions with NIA on the probe into the Pathankot terror attack even as the visiting officials recorded statements of witnesses.
As counter-terrorism operations at the Pathankot air base continued for the second consecutive day, the Union government on Sunday said it was unsure if more terrorists were still holed up.
He said it is the duty of the Air Force personnel to remain combat worthy and maintain combat systems operational for any contingency at a short notice.
Three people were killed after the MiG-21 fighter aircraft crashed into a house in Hanumangarh in Rajasthan shortly after it took off for a routine training sortie from the Air Force Station at Suratgarh.
In the wake of the terrorist attack on the Pathankot Air Force Base, security was on Saturday stepped up in the national capital and several states. Security has been beefed up at the airport, railway stations, bus stands and other vital installations.
'As the IAF kicks off another round of myth-making -- launching a year-long commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1965 India-Pakistan war -- it is worth remembering how little there was to celebrate in those September days when the underdog PAF got the better of the IAF in raid after raid, dogfight after dogfight.'
The National Investigation Agency on Monday filed a chargesheet in the Pathankot airbase terror attack, naming Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and three others of his organisation as accused.
The AH-64E Apache is one of the world's most advanced multi-role combat helicopters, and is flown by the US army.
The five-member team will be given a detailed presentation before they visit the attack site on Tuesday.
Chabua is a key base of the IAF and it has the latest airplanes including the Sukhoi-30 MKi and Chetak helicopters.
Valhalla is undoubtedly enriched by the presence of Unnikrishnan Gangadharan Kartha. He would have already convened the 'fall in' and regaled his friends with tales of the distant land that they once inhabited.
Three persons with alleged "ideological leaning" towards the banned JeM were arrested in New Delhi for planning terror strikes in different parts of the national capital.
Nitin Gokhale reports on how quick decisions saved a repeat of a Mumbai-like carnage at the key Punjab air force base.
J&K Governor N N Vohra on Friday ordered a security audit of all vital establishments and installations in Jammu and Kashmir by a multi-disciplinary team of security agencies.
The Sena said that Modi thanking America for standing by India in its times of need is only an example of his courteous nature.
Indian Air Force's 115 Helicopter unit and 26 Squadron, both doing yeoman's services in rescue operations and war have been awarded with the President's Standard award, an official said on Friday.
Lt Colonel E K Niranjan was undertaking a mopping up and render safe procedure on the encounter spot when a blast occurred and splinters and sharpnels hit the officer fatally.
The terrorists who attacked the IAF base in Pathankot came in groups of four and two and the bigger group was ticked off by their Pakistani handler as to why they have fallen behind in reaching the target when their accomplices had already entered the complex.
The JIT will be taken to only those areas of the air force station that were accessed by the terrorists, who attacked the base in the early hours of January 2 this year.
The 125 Helicopter Squadron (Gladiators) since its formation in November 1983 has enhanced its operational capability over the years and earned accolades for its valour and strike capabilities when deployed internally as well as abroad.
'More needs to be done in less time,' says Vivek Gumaste. 'A sense of urgency is crucial if the BJP wishes to fulfil its promise of tough, no-nonsense, governance in matters of security.'
National Investigation Agency officials said that Salvinder Singh, his jeweller friend Rajesh Verma and cook Madan Gopal have been summoned for a routine questioning as the agency is preparing to receive a five-member Special Investigation Team from Pakistan on March 27.
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